Corn Is Maize

The Gift of the Indians

Popcorn, corn on the cob, cornbread -- and corncob pipes! Tacos and tamales and tortillas! All these and many other good things come from an amazing plant that the Indians discovered and taught the white man how to grow.

In her own magical way, Aliki tells the story of corn: how Indian farmers thousands of years ago found and nourished a wild grass plant and made it an important part of their lives, how they learned the best ways to grow and store and use its fat yellow kernels, how they shared this knowledge with the new settlers of America.

Cheerful illustrations by the author complete this lively account of the Indians' gift to us all.